Sleeping Beauty
by MissGoose
Summary: Their fights were finished almost 5 years ago. Peace was all around, Yuffie had been called back home to prepare herself to take over Wutai when her father passed away from a hit of cancer. The AVALANCHE gang couldn't wait to see their ninja give a speech to the world. How exciting! Nothing bound to go wrong! Right!
1. Time Changes a Person

**Disclaimer: I own no part of Final Fantasy VII. I am not receiving any payment for this story other than self-satisfaction.**

 _I wasn't going to write any more stories, because my author career is hitting a wall, but I can't hold these back! I have a bad habit of not being able to let an idea go. I have about 2 more fan fics up my sleeve and then I think I'm going to try and take a break. But we all know how well that worked last time! Ha ha! Enjoy Vincent and Yuffie's little love story!_

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 **Chapter One: Time Changes a Person**

Yuffie Kisaragi sat in the back yard of her father's mansion. She was glad he was the leader and worked hard to keep their nation out of major turmoil. The only problem was his desire to remain a tourist attraction nation. The beauty of Wutai, the love of the people, and the tough security from the police force meant nothing to her father unless he could make easy gil from the ever coming visitors.

Yuffie rolled her eyes at her dear dad's need for money. She could understand wanting it to get through life from day to day. It was true not every person held her luck to be a wealthy princess, and she wouldn't toss dirt on it any longer. But they were fine and they didn't need any more!

She sighed as she stood up from her seat on the cold ground. Spring was around the corner but some of the lingering chill from winter had yet to subside. She dusted off her butt free of dirt and turned around to face the mansion she now called home.

Being a princess she was forced to almost always dress in a flowered kimono and dress shoes fit for royalty. Her hair was several inches longer than she liked because she needed to become more beautiful for her father's happiness. She felt a little off with her need to do little things like dressing nicely while her father was still alive. Before he left she needed to send him to the Lifestream with happy memories.

When her father announced his battle with a nasty dose of heart cancer. It appeared he had been carrying lung cancer for a bit of time before the disease was caught spreading to his heart. By the time they caught it they were too late to help heal him. Yuffie took his approaching death as a sign she was done running away from her role as a Wutaian leader.

"Princess Yuffie," a young maid said as she stepped outside in her ever so short skirt. While Yuffie was required to wear a long kimono the maids were placed in short skirts. Her father said it was to symbolize her larger importance, but she wasn't young enough to miss the creepy desires of an old man. The maid's outfits would be one of the first changes she made when she got her hands more control. "Your father requested you presence about tomorrow's announcement."

Yuffie crossed her eyes even with the girl in front of her. Everyone knew she was still not all on board to leading their nation. The only reason she was here was because her father stood at death's door. She took a deep breath and followed the girl into the mansion.

The large home seemed even more obnoxious with her father no longer being able to move up and down stairs due to his heart condition. His bedroom was moved entirely to the downstairs guest room. The space was only slightly smaller than the grand, master bedroom on the upper floor. But her old man made a point to complain about the lack of space for almost the entire first month he slept in the room. Yuffie was honestly surprised he didn't toss money to have the space increased. Maybe he was getting a little wiser about foolish spending?

"Hey, old man," Yuffie said as she stepped into the room. The carpet was a maroon shade with dark walls. The darkness of the room made his sleeping a little bit easier and the elegance around him made him still feel like he carried some importance.

"Yuffie, have you looked over the speech I wrote for you to read tomorrow?" he asked. Even if he was to be relaxing he still put in too much work in his final days. A part of Yuffie could find some respect for his dedication.

"Yes, I don't see why I'm holding a presentation for our people," she groaned and sat at the wooden chair angled by his bed for visitors if he actually saw any. "We aren't planning to change anything about this money pit you created. Why do I need to do this?"

"Because this is a process that needs to occur," he said and rubbed his hand over his face as if he were reaching the edge of his patience. No surprise there. "I know if you stick with Wutai as you keep saying you will, there might be changes ahead in your plans. And a part of me understands this as much as I don't. But if you wish to change how things are done here you must do them in baby steps. As the speech reads; you plan to continue leading our people as I always have done, but you will not make promises to leave us behind. Your known strength and exploration of our world a few years ago taught you a lot. Possibly more than I even know."

Yuffie's eyes popped open. Her father rarely spoke about her adventures alongside AVALANCHE. It had been almost five years since those many battles. A part of her wanted to forget them all while she knew it would never be a gift she could receive. She felt a part of Godo was filled with guilt for the hardships and terrors she went through while gaining her knowledge of many factors in the world. She also knew her experience brought home many things he never put thought into. The things she learned outside their nation were things Godo would never have thought up since he never left Wutai. Their people needed Yuffie's lessons.

"Ah, I need to rest. Please, close the curtains over that window by my dresser and catch some sleep yourself," he said. He reached up and touched under her eyes as if he truly was a caring father. "You look tired, my daughter."

"I will," Yuffie whispered and took hold of the caring hand on her cheek. She nuzzled his rough fingers before leaving him to rest. As she stepped out of his room tears fell down her cheeks.

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Vincent Valentine no longer kept himself locked away from the outside world. The battles alongside his friends taught him life was not a thing he could waste with what little time he might have left. It was only a short time after Sephiroth killed thousands of innocent people when Deepground appeared and knocked out a large number of innocents themselves. Vincent could not understand what kind of evil took over a being's mind for them to think killing would be a good idea.

Vincent opened his cell phone to check the time and date. It was nearly five years since their battles ended and the world was finally nearing a sense of calm. He lived a few streets down from Cloud and Tifa's home near Seventh Heaven. His time was spent seeing his friends every now and again. He still preferred his time alone, but Tifa would freak out if he acted too strongly towards his desire of privacy.

As if on cue his cell phone rang and the number for Seventh Heaven lit up the screen. It was rare for Tifa to use the business phone. Chances were Cloud lost his cell and took hold of Tifa's until his was found. The man was growing ever more clueless as time ticked by.

"Hello, Tifa," Vincent answered. He could have ignored her call but then she'd leave a voicemail. If she left a voicemail he would need to call her back. There truly was no point to ignore his friend.

"Hey, Vincent," she said an obvious smile on her face. "Did you see the news this morning?"

Vincent rolled his eyes. He didn't find the need to watch news updates because if there ever was anything big Tifa would spill it for him anyway. No need to waste his time if he had his own updater.

"Probably not," she said once he remained silent. "It turns out tomorrow the Princess of Wutai is holding a live broadcast to be announced all over the world!"

Vincent gave a confused look to his empty living room. He knew Yuffie moved back home when her father was diagnosed with cancer soon to claim his life. He knew she wanted to be by his side in his final days. Any caring daughter would feel that way even if h had been a little harsh through her young years. But he did not expect her to be taking such a strong act as Princess of Wutai.

"How about that?" Vincent said with a smile actually appearing on his face.

"I know, right?!" Tifa yelled. He could picture her jumping like an excited child. "Tomorrow we're all going to gather here to watch the live showing. You should come too."

And there it was. The main reason for her calling about the update. Tifa did her best to keep all of her friends up to date on major issues going through their lives. Especially when the matter was something as large as this. Chances were she already called or was planning to call the rest of AVALANCHE about the little party tomorrow. It would be cruel for Vincent to deny making an appearance.

"I'll stop by for the show," he said standing from his chair. He was wearing his ever popular leather pants and stylish sweater. His cape was tossed aside because it mostly got in the way those days. Of course, his hair was still long. He didn't need to look in the mirror and resemble his old self any more than needed.

"Great! See you tomorrow around lunch time!" Tifa said happily.

Vincent ended their call with a small smirk on his face. The idea of Yuffie actually making a public announcement like a true princess was almost a joke. It was bound to end up in a mess with chaos from the start to end. He knew his friend didn't have the poise of an elegant lady. Yuffie Kisaragi would never hold the idea off a princess in his eyes.

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Vincent drove his motorcycle to Seventh Heaven the next day with a large amount of doubt for the whole presentation ending as a smooth event. If he knew Yuffie as well as he thought he did they were in for an entertaining show. Yuffie was not a girl to be seen in a prissy kimono with her hair done in a stylish way. Not to mention her hair was always cut as a bob so short there was nothing anyone could do to it. Vincent let another chuckle out to the idea of Yuffie's show about to be displayed.

He stepped into the bar to see several of his comrades already seated at the bar in wait for the television to display their show. Jokes were told in laughs and stories were shared. Vincent sat on a stool next to Cid as he chewed on a toothpick. His smoking habit was cut down in place of this new trick. It worked but Vincent didn't think there was much point with how often he once smoked. Whatever he could do to please Shera.

"Hey, Vince!" Cid said as Vincent took his seat. His friend pat him a little rough on his back as he sat down.

"How are you doing, Cid?" Vincent asked barely able to fight off a wince from Cid's surprisingly hard pat.

"Eh, can't complain. Ships doing well and Shera hasn't kicked me out of the house yet. What about you, old timer?" Cid asked with a small chuckle as Tifa placed a small glass of water for Vincent on the bar.

Vincent smiled to his friend's joke while shaking his head. He was a bit older than all his friends but carried the appearance of a thirty year old man. With his demons out of his body he assumed he would begin aging and living life as an _average_ human. His first battle against a simple cold told him how true his belief was.

"Just doing small work around the city. Helping people with simple jobs," Vincent said before sipping his drink. "Not much to do with all these bad guys out of business."

Ever since their win over Deepground the problems in the enter world were almost done. Small matters here and there handled by local law enforcement were the only problems known from day to day. Even Reeve was finding life to be a bit easier than he expected.

"Don't complain too much," Tifa warned pointing a water sprayer from the sink at the men. "I don't want to get thrown into anymore battles. We deserve this peace."

" _Attention all! Princess Yuffie Kisaragi will now be taking the stage for her latest announcement!_ " a voice called from the television.

All eyes looked to the screen while Tifa yelped with joy. It had been a long time since any of them had seen the young ninja. Sure, Tifa spoke to her on occasion but that meant nothing. Seeing the young girl step out threw everyone's excitement out the door. They were all shocked by the sight they saw.

Vincent took in her slim body wrapped snuggly in a dark blue kimono. Her hair was almost at her shoulders with half of it pulled back into a blue twist to match her outfit. A light amount of makeup decorated her face making her eyes jump at the onlookers. At some point the crazy girl they all knew grew into a beautiful, young woman. When she spoke faces filled with shock.

" _Thank you all for attending this meeting my father and I wished to hold_ ," she said with poise and elegance. " _As you all know, my father was diagnosed with heart and lung cancer a little while ago_. _In these past few months I have worked with him to develop plans for our great nation._ "

Vincent took in a slow breath to her grown up personality. Where was the child he fought alongside many years ago? When did her eyes begin to shine with such darkness? Where was the heart her smile always brought to their lives? Where was the Yuffie he always knew?

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 _Well? 5 years can really change a person, huh? Well, let's see what exciting news Yuffie has for her people and her friends_


	2. Terror isn't Through Just Yet

_Disclaimer: I own no part of Final Fantasy VII. I am not receiving any payment for this story other than self-satisfaction._

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 **Chapter Two: Terror isn't Through Just Yet**

Yuffie looked out to the crowd and did her best to hold her composure as she spoke. A few sessions of training brought her the ability to continue speaking as if she wasn't nervous and hated standing where she stood. Her smile appeared in short moments between sentences. A touch pad slowly inched through the words her father typed up for her to say. Out of kindness for the old man she kept true to his words as she spoke.

"When I take on the leadership of this nation, I do not expect many things to change right away. I will work hard with all of you to make my work successful in your eyes," she said and waved her hand out to signal all the people below the balcony she spoke from. "I will make some changes to our nation as I lead. But these changes will take time and not be able to happen with a simple snap of my fingers. I need to work with other areas across out globe to work out the finer details. We will not forget our original world, but we will continue to grow with the changes permitted by technology and knowledge."

Yuffie looked up so she could eye the camera moving by her face. Deep down, she knew her friends were watching her presentation from Seventh Heaven. The popular bar they used to always spend their time inside.

"The battles I fought alongside my friends taught me a lot about this world. I wish to share all these lessons with you. Is there anyone too afraid to take on this exciting challenge?!" Yuffie yelled her final sentence with a large smile and jumped for joy. All the people of Wutai her cheered her on and joined in her excited act. All except one, unknown person.

A gunshot sounded somewhere outside the crowd of people. Screams were heard below out of fear, but no one could see who had been hit by the shot. Not until they looked up to see Yuffie's body lying on the balcony. The shooter was after the princess and they were successful.

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Vincent jumped off his stool in shock as if he could jump through the television to Yuffie's side. She had been shot and was knocked out. He couldn't say the shot was a fatal wound. On the screen the news station caught clips of people from inside the castle running to Yuffie's aid. Just before the camera went black he saw Godo take out a phone to place a call.

Seconds later the phone to Seventh Heaven rang. Tifa answered with the intention to tell the customer they were now closed until further notice. She told the caller to hold for one second.

"Go ahead, sir," Tifa said putting the call on speaker for all of AVALANCHE to hear.

"I assume you all saw Yuffie get shot," Godo said without skipping a beat. "I do not know where to take it from here. My own team of people will try to do some research, but we cannot set aside the idea it could be an enemy of your team. How soon can you get here?"

"We'll get on my airship in less than fifteen and head straight there as fast as we can," Cid said after he spit out his broken toothpick. He had broken the small piece of wood when the shooting occurred.

"Is she alright?" Tifa asked in a rush before the call could end.

"Her breaths are coming in short gasps," Godo said as scuffling could be heard in the background. "There's a bit of blood, but this was not a shot to kill. My people will run some tests to hopefully have a way to explain the situation upon your arrival. Get here as fast as you can."

"Roger," Cid said quickly before Tifa hung up the phone.

"Everyone get their weapons together and meet at Cid's airship. We'll be leaving in fifteen minutes just as we said," Cloud said taking on his leadership role as if he never left it. "If you aren't there in time we'll leave you behind."

Vincent already had a gun on his hip. He felt naked without a weapon right at his use just in case. A part of him assumed it wouldn't take fifteen minutes for everyone else to gather their own weapons. The fights they went through taught them all to be prepared for the worse.

In less than ten minutes after their departure from Seventh Heaven everyone stood at Cid's airship. There wasn't much to say except get on and shut up. All appeared anxious. Except for Tifa. She carried tears in her eyes and obvious worry in her heart. They had no way to know what they would be facing by the time they reached Wutai.

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 _Okay, this chapter was short but it was the little bits that needed to happen for my idea to pull through. I have a pretty good idea what I want to happen, but will that pull through? Will the old gang be able to fight through this challenge like they fought through so many before? Let me know what you think!_


	3. Dirty Men Don't Always Lie

**Disclaimer: I own no part of Final Fantasy VII. I am not receiving any payment for this story other than self-satisfaction.**

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 **Chapter Three: Dirty Men Don't Always Lie**

The gang stood around Yuffie's bed. She was snuggled into a large, queen bed with dark green blankets covering her body. All the makeup from her presentation had been removed for the doctors to check her out. A heart rate monitor was attached to her chest through the bottom of her pajamas someone had changed her into. Even with all the equipment attached to her and the large bandage on her neck she looked as if she was sleeping in peace.

"My scientists say the bullet could have killed her if the attacker intended her death, but there was some larger motive to the attack. The bullet was filled with a liquid rarely used these days. I have only heard of this drug a few times myself, and I thought it was no longer available anywhere," Godo said. He leaned back in his wheelchair and looked towards his daughter. "Yuffie was hit with a powerful sleeping drug called _Resterion_. It's a very powerful drug many scientists used to use when experimenting on large animals. Knocks them out so they wouldn't attack the scientist while the procedure was being done on the animal."

"Or human," Vincent said pulling all eyes in his direction. "When Hojo did his experiments on my body I was basically dead. But I was still aware enough the risk of my feeling the procedures was there. Lucrecia provided my body with the drug before anything was even attempted in the experiments."

"It's got to be strong to have any effect on a nearly dead body," Cloud said looking back to Yuffie as she slept. "How long do you think she'll be out?"

Vincent shook his head and looked to the sleeping princess. He couldn't believe someone was making such a heavy drug. If someone wanted answers they were going about a very interesting way to get them.

"Have you been bothered by anyone about Yuffie taking lead in Wutai?" Cloud asked. It was time to get down to business. They had been staring at their comatose friend long enough.

"Nothing outside of the expected," Godo said with a shrug. "A couple complaints to the Kisaragi line needing to step down, or how she would be too young to take on the task. No complaints we haven't seen before. In fact, they have been coming since she started reaching the age when we could consider making her queen. Nothing new."

Vincent couldn't help but smirk to the idea of Yuffie being queen rather than simply titling herself as a princess. If it was a hard image to take in for him then it would be terrifying for the ninja.

"What about someone she stole from?" Vincent asked looking around the group. "We all know she gets kicks from capturing materia from the innocent."

"She's not as interested in materia as she once was," Godo admitted. "She doesn't even carry her shuriken on her most days."

"Growing up," Tifa said. "We'll have to look around and take in as much information as we can find."

"Exactly," Cloud said taking over when Tifa fell silent. "I want all of us out digging up whatever we can find about Yuffie. See if she's been getting involved with things we never thought she would, see if people heard any plans to attack her, find wherever her name is mentioned and take notes! It is now in our hands to protect this girl."

"Should we make sure to keep someone here to watch over her while she sleeps?" Nanaki asked looking around. "No offense, Mr. Kisaragi, but you wouldn't exactly be the best to be her guard and our team knows how to fight."

"Good point. It would be wise for someone to sit with her," Godo agreed looking around the room. "Who wants to start out next to her?"

"I will and then after a few hours I can trade off with someone," Tifa said. In a way, they all knew she needed to calm down before she ran out digging up information. She wouldn't be able to think straight if she jumped on the hunt right away.

"Sure. I'll go into the back allies and dig up what I can around the darker areas of the city," Vincent said. "Once I'm done digging I'll return with all I gather and trade spots with you."

"That works," Cloud agreed. "Alright, let's head out everyone."

Vincent watched everyone leave and stood back with Tifa so he could stare at Yuffie a little longer. He could not believe how different so was compared to the last time he fought alongside her. He wanted to talk to her to see how much her personality changed. Appearance was one thing but he wouldn't be able to handle if she wasn't as happy as she once was.

"They're all running out," Tifa said looking out the window. She continued to look as if she wasn't supposed to be watching over Yuffie at that second. Vincent got the hint.

Vincent leaned forward and kissed Yuffie's cheek. He wasn't sure when it happened or how long it was there. But if felt as if Yuffie had been a part of him a lot longer than he allowed himself to believe. He straightened his posture and looked up right into Godo's eyes. Why hadn't he waited until the old man left?!

"Maybe that's why she's denied every man I've sent her way?" Godo said as he leaned back in his chair with a smirk. "How much do you care about my daughter, Vincent Valentine?"

"Enough to fly here to kill the animal that attacked her," he answered and stepped away from Yuffie's bed. Before he walked out of the room he looked over his shoulder to speak once more to Godo. "I was born in Wutai many years ago. I have not forgotten the meaning behind living in this nation."

Godo smiled after the fierce man as he finally left Yuffie's bedroom. He was presented with a bit of information to think about while the hunt was on.

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Vincent Valentine felt the chill in the air before anything happened. As he turned the corner of the building to reach the hidden streets he was welcomed by the smell of a fire burning nearby. A man with mold on his beaten tennis shoes and dirt on his teeth smiled up to Vincent. He rubbed his hands as he held them closer to the fire.

"What brings you to these street, my boy?" the man asked before he let out a harsh cough.

"Do you know anything about the incident involving Princess Kisaragi?" Vincent asked eyeing up the man and he picked at his dirty teeth as if his grubby fingers could really do the job.

"I did hear the gun fire earlier this day. Is the young miss okay?" he asked with genuine worry on his face. "I thought it was just another fight gone array out here, but then the shouting began. Oh, the rich people can really shout."

"Rich people?" Vincent assumed the man was talking about the audience watching Yuffie's announcement. But the sparkle in his eye stated there was possibly more to the term

"Well," he inched his finger to signal Vincent needed to lean closer. "Not all of those goody-two-shoes are so good. Are they? If I were to make up a plan to shoot at the princess I wouldn't doubt I'd be caught in minutes if not seconds for the crime. No, if someone wants the job done they need money to pay the right people."

Vincent gave the man a strange look. He was amazingly wise for someone covered in so much dirt. The chances were he never meant to be lost to the darkness of the backstreets. But if he knew about the rich making plans then there had to be more to his story.

The chances were there the man was either taking his time revealing the truth only to be dramatic. Deep down, Vincent knew he wanted a bit of profit to edge the story along. He took out his wallet and looked to the man's eyes.

"What else do you know and how much will it cost me?" Vincent asked ready to hand over as much gil as the man asked for.

"No, no!" he said and shook his head. "My worry for our princess in genuine and my information comes to you for no cost. I strongly believe once she takes over she'll clean up the shit her dear old man chose to overlook. Pass on my wishes and I'll give you all the information you care to hear."

Vincent put his wallet away and smiled at the muggy guy next to him. He slid over a wooden crate and sat down to hear all the juicy details his new friend was dying to spill.

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Vincent arrived at the mansion belonging to the Kisaragi family with a load of information from the man in the streets. Thanks to all the details he was given he had a more direct pathway for them to run along. The information was so important to their digging he wouldn't let the man deny a plate of food as payment. Yes, Yuffie would clean up the darkness in the city. Vincent would make sure of it.

"I have a lot of information to share," Vincent said once he was in Yuffie's room with Tifa and Godo sitting in silence. He looked to the other two people then whispered so quietly Tifa barely heard his words. "Tifa, call everyone to get them here and I need to search this room to make sure it's safe."

Vincent searched all around Yuffie's dresser and stands. The curtains were moved around and any piece of carpet was looked under. He peeked behind the headboard of her bed with a flashlight to see if anything odd could be seen. Her closet was empty and nothing suspicious was found. There was no way they weren't spying on her. He walked over to wear she was asleep and carefully moved the equipment out of his way. He leaned down to whisper to Tifa.

"Tifa, I'm going to pick up Yuffie and I want you to look under the mattress to see if anything is there," he said and eyed Yuffie's sleeping body. "I want to make sure it's safe before I reveal any information."

Tifa bobbed her head to agree and moved to the other side of the bed. She took hold of the mattress before Vincent picked up Yuffie.

He bent down next to her body to carefully slide his arms underneath her. The cords barely moved as he rose her tiny being in his arms. Her head fell to the side and landed on his chest. It was amazing how warm her body remained even after all the hell it had been through in one day. She was a miracle he should never touch. The temptation she offered made him lick his lips impatiently. Excitement danced in the back of his mind to the thought of what Yuffie would do if she knew he was lost to her entirely.

A large crash sounded in the room to pull Vincent out of his mini fantasy. He looked up to see Tifa stomping down on a black box. Once the plastic box was destroyed she ripped the cords out of the electronic equipment to finalize the end of the recorder.

Vincent smiled to Tifa's triumphant stance against the inanimate object. She was about to jump for joy before Vincent held up a single finger to silence her joy.

"I want to check on more spot," Vincent said and turned towards Godo. "Sir, may I look over your wheelchair?"

Godo's face grew angry at the idea Vincent was forming. Mr. Kisaragi looked towards the recorder Tifa had destroyed. In the end, that was enough proof there was someone around he couldn't trust. He bobbed his head for Vincent to approach him.

Vincent walked around Godo's seat taking in the easy to see spot another recorder could have been hidden. Obviously, all those areas were free of any bugs. He got to his hands and knees to look under the bottom off the chair. No one would ever need to look under his wheelchair unless they were moving it without him in it. Since the man never left the seat other than bed it could be a possibility.

Vincent instantly caught sight of a red dot blinking on the metal bar holding the left wheel in place. He grabbed the recorder with his metal hand and crushed the machine instantly. He returned to his feet with the broken pieces in his hands.

"Is there anywhere else you can think someone would hide something?" Vincent asked.

"Not in this room," Godo said scratching his chin. "But you know Yuffie, I don't know all the secret places she could have in here. The rest of the house has several hundred places these recorders could be."

"We'll only talk about this situation in her bedroom from now on," Vincent said. He gave Yuffie a half smile. "Chances are if she had a secret place then no one knows about it and we would never find it."

In about twenty minutes the entire AVALANCHE team was gathered in Yuffie's bedroom. They were all seated in a circle of chairs brought from the meeting parlor down the hall. Cloud was the first to break the silence.

"Well, this means someone working for you is most likely behind these attacks." Cloud looked at Godo as the old man sighed with regret. He could not live with himself if he was the cause to his daughter's forever sleep. "Is there any of them you've really pissed off? Maybe not directly. You could have done something to a friend or relative."

Godo shook his head and Vincent knew the truth. If there was someone furious with the man; Godo wouldn't know. He saw his life as fit and fine with no worries on his plate. As far as he knew, he took care of everything so Yuffie could take over his place with little to no troubles.

Vincent could feel the frustration pouring off his friends. Men like him were sources to a lot of the little troubles they faced when they were trying to take care of Sephiroth. The men able to allow themselves to believe they hadn't done anything wrong in the world. Money clouded people's views way too many times.

"I'm going to want a list of all the people you've fired, sued, or fined in the past five years," Cloud said. Groans filled the room. "Vincent, I want you to call Reeve and see if he can get his best people on this. Have him send out Cait Sith with whatever information he is able to connect from the papers we'll email him. Let's go guys. We're only half a step closer to solving this attack."

Vincent took out his cell phone and stepped away from the circle of people. They began talking with Godo about the location of any important papers holding answers to their current riddle. The list probably went on and on.

"Wondered if I would be hearing from you," Reeve said as he answered Vincent's call. "What can I do for you?"

"We've found some recording equipment inside Yuffie's bedroom. We aren't sure what the spies found, but we destroyed the machines to protect her a little bit longer. Mr. Kisaragi is gathering up records for problems he's faced with other in the past five years," Vincent explained to Reeve. He saw everyone stand to begin heading out to gather together all the paperwork Reeve would need to complete the search. "Is there any hope you could dig around this list of people we write up and email to you? Maybe you could find something we wouldn't be able to."

"Vincent, you don't even need to send me the paperwork. You know I have access to just about every crime, document, or contract ever created. I'll get my best people on it and as soon as I get an answer I'll send Cait Sith over to Wutai," Reeve said with an obvious smile on his face. "All you guys have to do is wait and guard the little ninja."

Vincent looked over to Yuffie and took in her laying under her comforter. No matter what anyone said they all were beginning to see she wasn't so little anymore.

"Thank you," Vincent said and ended the call. He could have gone after his friends to end their searching, but a part of him wanted to be alone with Yuffie.

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 _What do you think about a poor man tattling on the rich? He was able to help Vincent connect rich, dirty hands behind this crime! Well, maybe! Who knows if they're right or not? Strange things happen in the world of Final Fantasy, don't they?_


	4. Alone With You

**Disclaimer: I own no part of Final Fantasy VII. I am not receiving any payment for this story other than self-satisfaction.**

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 **Chapter Four: Alone With You**

Vincent Valentine was left alone with Yuffie even after he revealed Reeve already had access to the papers his team found. They didn't seem too upset with him for letting them run around the mansion in search of all the papers. Instead the group laughed because they were foolish to think Reeve wouldn't be prepared. Then they all left Yuffie's side so Vincent could sit next to her in privacy. Even Mr. Kisaragi left them alone. If that wasn't a sign of trust he didn't know what was.

"I think your father is starting to like me too much," he said then looked to Yuffie to see if she responded. Her body remained still even to the sound of his voice. It would be too romantic to think she would wake just because he wanted her to see him.

He picked up her hand so he could rub his human thumb along her skin. It still amazed him how someone so still could feel so warm. Though a part of him believed Yuffie walked around with a fire in her soul able to warm the coldest heart. She managed to do something to him if he were to be completely honest with himself.

The five years of silence she gave all of them hurt a part of his heart he never thought he would touch again. With her silence he figured she was over their friendship. Why contact her if the ever pestering Yuffie wouldn't contact him? Of course, she could easily have felt the same way. Chances were high she thought he didn't want her to talk to him. If he were honest, a part of that was true.

Vincent did not want Yuffie to show him any form of needing him because he only imagined terror in her life if he stepped in. A true princess didn't need the types of drama a dark soul would shed in her bright world. Lucrecia was the perfect example of the misery his love could bring.

He dropped Yuffie's hand and slid away from her as shock hit him from his thoughts comparing his feelings towards Yuffie to his once strong feelings for Lucrecia. The idea of showing such a strong feeling for the woman he barely knew was outrageous.

When he fought alongside her he thought he knew her pretty well. A typical girl with a desire to please herself. She collected what she wanted and stole what she couldn't get with ease. Yuffie liked to laugh and loved her friends with all her heart. She was more beautiful and kind than any person Vincent ever knew.

But the woman in the bed before him was not the girl he thought he knew. Yuffie would not willingly stand with a smile on her face over the people of Wutai as a leader. The girl would not dress in a kimono and wear makeup to please the crowd. Yuffie only did what she wanted and screw everyone else.

Vincent rolled his eyes and shook his head. If he knew anything about his dear friend he knew that thought was a lie. She cared about people with all her heart and even loved her father no matter how crazy the man was. If someone needed something from her she wasn't afraid to act. Yuffie's heart was so much larger than anyone could ever imagine. As he thought about this truth the way she had grown without him watching seemed more and more realistic.

After he moved his chair back to being right next to her he took her hand again. A foreign part of him wanted her to wake up so he could simply see her charming eyes. He hoped seeing his face would take away the darkness he saw dancing through them when they saw her give her presentation for the world. He could not imagine the kind of things she put up with being a princess in such a large, popular area.

"Threats all the time and getting thrown men left and right," he said while he reached up to touch her cheek. "Everything you once ran away from is beginning to take over your life again. Isn't it?"

"It wouldn't be so bad if she had someone with her," Cloud said as he stepped into the room. Most would have expected Tifa to take the steps to get involved with Vincent's current situation. In a way, Cloud could take on the task much easier. Chasing after a woman he could never have was what he had done so many years ago. The only difference was the lack of anything truly blocking Vincent from Yuffie's life. Nothing other than his foggy views of himself.

"True," Vincent said to his friend. It was odd to see Cloud stepping up to the plate in a romantic situation. Well, assuming they were facing a romantic moment.

"Would you be willing to lead a country alongside her?' Cloud asked. "Would you step up to the plate to take hold of your Wutai blood just so you could be with her? Is she worth it?"

"She's worth a lot," Vincent admitted as he smiled with the memories of everything they had gone through. "I dove into complete darkness to save her."

"True, if that doesn't say a lot I don't know what does," Cloud confirmed. He didn't know fully about the situation, but they were able to connect the dots with the bits they were told. "She also saved your life."

"Yeah, how about that?" Vincent said while shaking his head. She thought he was dead but she still pulled him to safety just in case. What a woman. Without a second thought to the matter he rose her knuckles to his lips and placed a gentle kiss along them. "But could you honestly see me standing next to her in such a place?"

Cloud shrugged and walked over to join Vincent by Yuffie's side. He sat in a dark chair on the other side to look directly at Vincent as he spoke.

"I think Wutai would be honored to have two heroes lead their nation," Cloud said giving all his support. "You would handle the more serious matters and Yuffie could take care of the loving matters you wouldn't want to face."

"Are you saying I can't love?' Vincent's eyes glared just as Cloud's eyes carried a joke for Vincent falling into his simple trap.

"Can you love, Mr. Valentine?" Cloud asked leaning forward with a smirk.

"I don't even know if she likes me yet." Vincent leaned on the bed with his metal arm so he could be a bit closer to her as his human hand ran a slow path up and down her arm. Goosebumps rose along her skin where his fingers traced.

"Oh, I don't think you have to worry about that," Cloud said with a smile as he walked away. "The staff is preparing dinner. Do you want someone to bring you some food so you can stay up here to eat or will you come downstairs to join us?"

Vincent let out a sigh as an answer. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek. Ever so close to her lips but not close enough to count. She was going to be awake when he finally got to kiss her. Assuming she let him do it.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The AVALANCHE team sat around as comfortable as ever while they all ate bowls of vegetable soup provided by the kitchen team working under Godo. Vincent remained quiet as the other spoke together. It wasn't odd for him to simply listen so no one really cared. He smiled when his name was mentioned a couple times, but didn't make any comments. The usual run of the times they got together.

Helicopter wings sounded in the distance from an approaching ride. No one thought much about it because it wasn't rare to hear machines moving in the evening for deliveries. Not to mention they were expecting the delivery of a certain black and white cat.

On cue, a knock sounded at the front door for a servant to answer. Only a short time later Cait Sith skipped into the room with his parachute dragging behind him from his shoulders. In his paws was a business envelope. Most likely it carried all the important information Reeve was able to gather in the investigation of Yuffie's attack. Cait Sith also wore a backpack holding items unseen to the group at the time being.

"Hey there!" he said with a smile none of them were feeling fit the time. "How ya'll doin'?"

"How do you fuckin' think?" Cid asked in a grumbled tone.

"True," the little cat said and shrugged. He held out his envelope of papers towards Godo. "Those are all the things Reeve and his team could find. The suspects we hold to be responsible for Yuffie's hit."

Vincent rolled his eyes at the happy tone to the cat's voice. Their friend was upstairs in some kind of medically induced coma by something they had no current way of fixing. He was being oddly positive through it all.

"The stars on the top left corner symbolizes the likelihood of their involvement," the cat said and jumped onto the chair where Vincent sat. He took off his book bag so he could did around inside while he spoke. "A few suspicious people have already been fired due to other situations, but we were able to toss most of those out because they moved away or were able to find a steady way to get through losing the job. It pleases me to say most of those fired for foolish things such as accidents were provided with money to make it."

Godo twisted his face as he thought back to some of those moments. Little things such as mistakes setting up meetings or causing trouble with honored guests often got a servant a toss out. But he did his best to provide all the hard working employees with something to fall back on. Of course, some of those moments were situations they didn't deserve the boot for, but he had to keep his staff at the absolute best. It was only a matter of time before Yuffie took over and learned that the hard way. A chuckle escaped as he thought back to his beginnings as a clueless leader. His poor father taught him nothing about maintaining a hard working staff.

"None of these faces or names look familiar to the people I spoke with," Cloud admitted. "Everyone look and see if any of these people should be investigated further."

Cloud tossed the provided profiles onto the center table so all could see the pictures of people and read their names. Vincent glanced to the table as Cait Sith placed a vile with a pink potion inside into Vincent's hand.

"This is the ointment Reeve's doctors were able to create to help wake up Yuffie," he said as he placed the vile into Vincent's hand. "Someone needs to sit her up and another pours it down her throat. A simple task with her immobile body."

Vincent once again let a glare show but tossed the hate aside as he took in the images of one servant's picture next to an older man's face.

"Hand me the file for Bethany Jacobs," he said. The name wasn't a very Wutaian style, but that wasn't what captured his interest. The image of the man next to Bethany's picture caught his attention. He looked closer to the man's picture when Cloud handed him the file. Then he tapped the man's face. "This was the man I spoke to. He claimed someone rich shot at Yuffie."

Vincent looked at the man's image and shook his head as he moved his attention to his daughter. It didn't make sense for a man to turn in his own child if they were guilty. The points were connected but very loosely.

"Sir, why did you fire Mr. Jacobs?" Vincent asked skimming the papers.

"He was a head chief and served an entire royal party rotten eggs," Godo said with a sigh. "I didn't want to fire him because he was so excellent. In fact, I wouldn't be shocked if he took the fall for the lower, inexperienced cooks. But with so many people harmed by the actions I had to act. I provided him with enough money to get his own place and look for a new job. After those actions it was no longer in my hands."

Vincent gave a heavy look to the daughter's picture. She still remained a servant in the mansion to that day though. In fact, reports often see her alongside Yuffie. A wrongful fire could stir up anger in any child's heart.

"Where is this servant? Bethany?" Vincent asked. He wanted to speak to her and see if anything could be connected.

"Most likely nearby Yuffie since no one else is there," Godo smiled and shook his head to deny Vincent's claim before he could state his belief. "The young girl adores Yuffie. Always takes care of here and their laughter is always heard when they are together. I think you're aiming the wrong way. Why would a father turn in his own daughter?"

"If she needs help," Vincent said. He stood warily. "The best way to attack someone is to work your way into their heart. If you fathered her father without a solid reasoning and he is now living on the streets, how do you think she feels?"

Godo's eyes widened with worry. He never thought a daughter would do something so foolish. Of course, his daughter ran around the world as a teen simply because he told her to do it.

Vincent took the man's worry and his previous words to act. He ran out of the room and up the stairway leading to Yuffie's bedroom. A little distance behind him he could hear the rest of his friends following his action. If Bethany knew they were all gathered for dinner then it would be the perfect time to strike. He ran into Yuffie's room in time to see Bethany pulling a needle out of Yuffie's neck. The needle was stuck under the bandage so evidence wouldn't be noticed easily.

"Get away from her!" Vincent yelled. He charged forward and ran at the young woman. Her tiny body and weak muscles warned Vincent to be gentle so he wouldn't harm her. Well, at least he couldn't harm her more than necessary. He slammed her body against the bedroom's wall with his metal arm holding her pinned. "Why did you do this?!"

"My father didn't deserve to be fired! If I lost my dad then Godo can lose the one he loves!" Bethany yelled even with his arm positioned against her throat. "If he would just give me the money I need to get my father back on his feet then I'll do whatever I can to find a way to wake the princess back up."

"Find a way?" Vincent glared at the girl with even more hatred. "You're telling me you attacked her with this rare drug as a threat to get answers but without all the knowledge to fix the attack?"

"So what?" Bethany rolled her eyes. She knew Godo could get the cure if she wasn't able to get things figured out. The man had enough money. "I imagine you guys got the cure?"

"Yes, but with no help from you I am willing to bet you will be locked up without a chance to help your father," Vincent said and threw her to the ground. Tifa hissed as the girl's body slid harshly against the floor. "You dear, old man provided me with enough evidence to connect the crimes to your hands. We won't hand you over to be arrested because he helped us so much, but we will get you help. I will also work alongside Yuffie to get your father out of the streets."

Bethany looked terrified for a second then dropped her head in defeat. The time alongside Yuffie taught her how caring the young princess was. If she would have simply waited until she became queen maybe she could have found answers for her father a better way. Crazy things people would do for love.

"Get da medicine into our princess!" Cait Sith called as he hopped at Yuffie's feet on the bed.

Vincent held up the vile holding the potion created to heal his dear love. They needed to pour the liquid into her mouth so she could be woken up. He walked over to the bed and sat where he could reach her. The cap popped off with ease by Vincent's metal hand. He held the potion in front of his face as he spoke.

"Time to wake you up, Sleeping Beauty," he said and poured the potion into his mouth. Everyone gasped and yelled his name. His actions made no sense. All the hard work they went through to heal their friend was gone because Vincent apparently lost his mind. If he drank her potion how would they wake her?

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

 _What the hell, Vincent?! Why would he pour the potion into his own mouth? What good is that going to do? If he loved her so much, wouldn't he want to save her? Maybe there's more to this bit of story then? Oh man Vincent! He isn't making any sense. Or is he? What benefit would he find to putting the potion into his mouth? Hmmmm._


	5. Surprises All Around

**Disclaimer: I own no part of Final Fantasy VII. I am not receiving any payment for this story other than self-satisfaction.**

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

 **Chapter Five: Surprises All Around**

"Vincent Valentine!" Tifa shouted to Vincent's actions. How could he possibly be so stupid? All of his previous worries were tossed to the side. Was he a bad guy all around?

Vincent only looked towards the sleeping princess. He moved forward and took hold of her body so she was sitting up in his arms. He kept a hold of her even as his friends moved forward to save Yuffie from whatever he was planning to do. But all actions stopped when he quickly leaned forward to place his lips against her own.

As if she were truly awake, her mouth opened the slightest to the touch of his lips. He carefully slid his tongue out of his mouth so the potion dancing in his own mouth would drip into her own before he absorbed the entire cure.

"Oh," Barret's voice sounded in the background with obvious embarrassment.

"That's one way to do it. Damn," Cid murmured as he looked away from Vincent's attack on their young friend.

"Vincent," Tifa sighed with adoration touching her cheeks with a blush.

"And you thought your demons scared us." Cloud laughed while rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

While Vincent continued to hold his lips against Yuffie's sleeping mouth he imagined everyone was looking away from his attack on the princess. He even held her head to him with his claw so she wouldn't fall away. His human arm was wrapped around her back so she was forced to sit close to his own body.

"Mmmm?" The mummer against his mouth was out of slight confusion. Before her eyes opened one hand reached up to touch Vincent's metal arm nearest to her. Suddenly her eyes popped open with nothing but shock dancing in the hazel circles. Vincent smiled against their kiss imagining the thoughts running through her mind.

"Hey there, Princess," he whispered as he pulled away from her mouth. "How are you feeling?"

The red shade of her cheeks answered the question before her. She looked around to see all of her friends from the AVALANCHE team gathered in her bedroom. Pain filled her head as she fought to remember what happened.

"I was giving a speech about leading Wutai and then…" she made a puzzled face as her memory faded into blackness. The pain and lost memories told her enough. "What happened?"

"Someone put you to sleep," Tifa said as she sat on the other side of Yuffie's bed. The team was looking at Yuffie again. Relief shown in all their eyes as Yuffie appeared to wake more and more as the seconds ticked by. "Your father called us so we could investigate what happened. It turns out Bethany still held a bit off anger towards your father for firing her father. Vincent was able to connect the dots. A couple officers took her away to the psych ward. That's the best we can do for her at the moment."

"Vincent?" Yuffie said his name in wonder. Then she looked into his crimson eyes as her cheeks worked back to their rose color. Seeing any shade other than her pale skin was refreshing to them all. "You saved me?"

"Of course," he said and ran his fingers along her own as she leaned back with her hand on her head.

"My head is killing me," she said once again looking away from Vincent's eyes.

"We should have some doctors check you out to make sure you're okay," Tifa said. She leaned forward and kissed Yuffie's forehead before she walked away. "We'll go get some to check you out."

The team walked out of the room and Vincent stood while letting go of her hand.

"I'll go with them so the doctors can do their work," he said with a smile. Her avoidance of his kiss told him enough. It was a far off dream but at least he tried.

"You came to save me," she whispered before he could walk away. He remained next to her bed as she continued to talk. "I wanted to push everyone away because I was going to become a leader of this nation one day and wouldn't be able to hang out all the time. I didn't want to break my friends' hearts by never being around."

"But it would be no problem for us to find time to come visit you, Princess," he said with a smirk. "I promise I would come any time you asked me to."

Yuffie's face turned red once again signaling Vincent to return to his seat at her side. She was obviously trying to say something. The way she held him back while she let all their other friends leave told him enough. She was working towards making a pretty big statement with him on her mind.

"What are you thinking?" he asked and took her hand out of comfort. This darkened her cheeks even further. It was pretty adorable.

"You came to me, Vinnie," she whispered. He felt joy to hearing the stupid nickname dance in his heart. Having her use his real name felt wrong in so many ways.

"Yes," he said and smiled towards her sweetly. "I wanted to help you."

"You kissed me," she whispered.

"Yes," he confirmed nodding his head. "It seemed like the best way to get the medicine to you."

Yuffie gave him a look saying she knew he was stretching that belief a little thin. She wasn't the smartest woman in the world, but she knew he didn't need to kiss her to get the job done.

"You saved me," she said rubbing her thumb against the hand he kept holding her own.

"Of course," he said still smiling. "I care a lot about you, Yuffie."

"Do you love me?" she asked looking straight into his eyes with her words. As the silence passed her heart was pounding in her chest. The dream of running away to escape her fate leading Wutai was lost when her father was hit with his heavy dose of cancer. Even still, the idea of taking on the role terrified her. If the right person stood next to her, maybe the role wouldn't be so large of a challenge.

Vincent smiled and leaned forward so he could kiss her forehead gently before he answered her question. He leaned back and ran his cold, metal hand up and down the bare skin of her arm under the sleeve of her pajama shirt. The chills from the touch covered her arm in goosebumps just as it had done before.

"I believe I do love you, Yuffie Kisaragi," Vincent said and grabbed her chin so he could rub his thumb under her bottom lip. "Do you love me?"

"I believe I might have an offer to present to you, Vinnie," she said as her chills moved to her neck while he dragged his fingernails along the line of her jaw.

"I'm listening," he said as he moved to push her hair out of her face and behind her ear. "Is this another job?"

"In a way," she said closing her eyes as his fingers continued to drag all over her bare skin available to his touch. "I offer you my nation."

"Hmm." Vincent took in ever reaction she carried to his touch. His motions weren't very suggestive but the way she was beginning to melt he would place a bet he was effecting her in a way she never knew existed. "I'm not sure if a nation can be described as a job. You are confusing me a bit."

"Liar," she grumbled. She let out a sigh and opened her drifting eyes to look into his own. "Would you marry me, Vincent Valentine? Help me lead this crazy country into a newer and better place by showing everyone all the possibilities the world has to offer. Help me get things moving forward for so many people stuck in the dark by teaching them new ways to get things accomplished all over. Help me become a better person by loving me as much as I love you."

Vincent smiled down at her and shook his head. It was hard to believe he was once a man set to live in the basement, in a coffin to sleep away all the sins of his past. Now he was being offered a position of power next to a woman willing to love him without any signs of betrayal under her sleeve. She wouldn't sell his body to the newest experiment.

"Yuffie, I don't think either of us realized how much I have always loved you," Vincent said. He reached behind her head and pulled her forward so he could kiss her once again. Their second kiss was made active from both parties. He melted to the taste of her tongue dancing willingly with his own.

A cough sounded in the doorway. The couple pulled apart as doctors stepped into the room once they were separated. Godo was being pushed in his wheelchair by a young man with a smile on his face.

"Can I assume this means there's no need to keep sending you on surprise dates?" Godo asked his daughter with a smile.

"Surprise dates?" Vincent raised his eyebrows at Yuffie.

"He was pretty set on me getting married," she said. Then she shook her head quickly. She ripped her hands out of the doctor's hold and shook them along with her head. "Not that you agreed to such a big this as marriage! We aren't even dating officially yet!"

Vincent laughed towards her run of words. It was hard to believe he allowed himself to be placed into such a situation. He knew agreeing to being in love with her would open up a lot of doors he would never have dreamt of opening at one point in his life. But falling for a princess meant he had to accept some things. Especially if her father appeared to accept their relationship.

"Once you get cleared from the doctors to leave the house we'll go pick out a ring for you to wear," Vincent said sitting back so the doctors could try once again to gather information on Yuffie's health after waking up. "I'm certain Tifa wouldn't mind sticking around Wutai a bit longer to help you with the bigger details of the wedding. I don't know jack squat about that stuff."

"Wait, you're saying we're going to get married?!" Yuffie asked jumping to sit on her knees and once again ripping her arms from the doctor's hold.

"If you would please sit back, Princess," the doctor said glaring at the young woman and turning his glare towards the man causing her jumping around.

"Get all of the check-ups cleared and then we can work out the details later. It might be better to hold back doing too much until you've rested a bit," Vincent said and moved to his feet.

"I've been sleeping for how long?" she snapped to him with a glare. "I don't need _more_ sleep. Of course, a vampire like you wouldn't understand that."

Vincent crossed his eyes while shaking his head. He caught the snickers and smiles from the nurses. Even Godo carried a smile. Before more work was done to check out Yuffie's health he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"I'm going to go let the rest of the gang know what's going on," he said smiling. "We'll start to get things organized so our wedding can really happen."

"I'm waking up from a coma and Vinnie is talking to me about weddings," she mumbled while shaking her head. "Obviously, I've been sent to another world."

"Maybe you should have told me you had a crush on me sooner?" he said with a smirk. Her willingness and lack of fighting towards their union told him enough. He didn't think she was as innocent as she attempted to play.

"You!" she yelled but didn't move because a couple of nurses worked to hold her down.

"I'll be downstairs, Yuffie," he said as he waved. He walked out of the room and heard her grumbling under her breath. Something about falling and chocobos.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"You two are getting married already?!" Cid shouted. His words were shouted loud enough for a few servants in the area ran into the room to hear the story Vincent was telling.

"Yes, it would be good for her father to see he wedding before he passed and it would make it easier for her to step in his shoes," Vincent said. "Not to mention I'll be able to work with him on gathering information about what's been going on in this nation as of late."

"Do you really love the kid that much?" Barret asked with obvious amazement.

"Do you think I would have asked if I didn't care?" Vincent asked shaking his head. Tifa stepped forward with her arms crossed.

"There's a fine difference between simply caring and loving someone, Vincent," she warned. "Do you love Yuffie?"

"Yes," he said with a sigh. "I'm not really sure when it happened, but I do know these past years away from her have sucked to no end. Not having her in my life simply as a friend killed me. Taking her as my wife is a gift I never thought I could have. She's a crazy woman, but I think I could use some excitement in my life."

"You don't need to tell us," Cait Sith said sitting on Nanaki's shoulders. "When's the big day?"

"We haven't set a date yet. We'll probably have to figure out where we want the ceremony and how many people will be invited," Vincent said and looked towards the ceiling. "Not to mention she has to pick out a ring she likes still."

"I think I have an answer for you there," Godo said as he was wheeled into the room where several people were standing to get all the juicy details. He held a small, wooden box in his hands. He raised the box for Vincent to take. "These are the rings I proposed to Kasumi with. I believe Yuffie wouldn't take anything other than these."

Vincent looked into the ring box with awe. The engagement ring was made with a silver band and a simple sapphire. The second band was decorated with emeralds. When the two rings connected to symbolize their marriage it appeared as if the sapphire was spouting two green leaves off the sides.

"It's perfect," Tifa said next to Vincent.

"We should do this engagement right," he said with a warm smile. The group all agreed and new plans were made. The finer details of the wedding couldn't be set until the bride-to-be was ready anyway.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

 _I originally thought this would be the last chapter, but that would be such a cliffhanger to leave you with! I think I'm going to write at least one more chapter for their story. Actually, maybe two. Oh, I don't know! Let's just wait and see how this plays out. Eep!_


	6. A Perfect Date

**Disclaimer: I own no part of Final Fantasy VII. I am not receiving any payment for this story other than self-satisfaction.**

 _I hope everyone has been enjoying these characters. I think their personalities are slightly off from the games and movies, but it's been 5 years. I don't think everyone stays the same all their life. Not to mention these guys have been through quite a lot, huh?_

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

 **Chapter Six: A Perfect Date**

Vincent watched Yuffie as she ate her rare steak at a slightly slow pace. He could only assume she was doing her best to savor every bite. Her plate was almost half way gone while his was nearing the state of being entirely empty. Luckily, they were in no hurry to get out of the casual, steak restaurant.

Yuffie wore a simple, slim dress able to show off her tiny body and fit frame. A part of Vincent was impressed she managed to keep herself in shape while remaining in princess mode for so many years. He wore his usual black attire with boots. He was also lucky his dark clothes worked almost everywhere.

"Vinnie, can you believe everything that's happened in such a short time?" she asked thinking to how much had occurred in just a little over 24 hours. She was kissed by Vincent Valentine, told she was going to marry Vincent Valentine, and now she was on a date with Vincent Valentine. She would never have predicted a future like this.

"It felt much longer to me," he said and took the final bite of his meal.

"Probably true," Yuffie agreed. She could not have imagined what it would have been like if she had to watch Vincent only sleep for as long as he had observed her. "Where you afraid I wasn't going to wake up?"

Vincent leaned back in his side of the booth to watch her eat. He thought about her question and his feelings. Through the entire adventure he was on a constant roller coaster with his feelings.

"I was terrified with what was happening to you," he said with a slow sigh. "Not to mention I couldn't figure out what was going on in my head. I didn't want to believe I loved you or that you could ever find it in your heart to love me."

"Why?" Yuffie asked. She was nearly done with her meal now.

"Because the last time I told myself I loved a woman she crushed me. Lucrecia left me for experiments and turned her future over to the hands of a lunatic," he said and shook his head. "Her betrayal crushed me and there was no way I can every live through something like that again. Admitting to loving you and everything I did was a huge step for me. I kicked down a wall around my heart I worked so hard to build."

Yuffie took the final bite of her steak. A waitress appeared to carry their plates away and offered dessert. Eating more food was out of the question. She left them their bill for Vincent to pay. Yuffie sipped the final bit of wine and finally responded to his words.

"I didn't think you could ever love someone like me," Yuffie said thinking back to when they first met. "Once I got over the belief of you being some kind of vampire or demon, I really started to like you. You were so different from what I expected from an average guy and were still able to care so much even with the terror in your past. It was kind of nice to experience that kind of love way back then?"

He gave her a look she could only compare to a chocobo when it first opened its eyes to a new life. Confused and a little lost with what was going on. Cute when shown on the tough face of Vinnie.

"I started crushing on you before Sephiroth was even out of our troubles," she said. Her cheeks touched a soft shade of pink as she continued to speak. "Then I tried to let it go when that trouble was done. Of course, one thing led to another and we were fighting alongside each other again. The crush I thought I let go popped up like some annoying weed. No matter what I did I couldn't get you off my mind. Finally, I admitted I had a tiny crush and just lived with it. When Godo got diagnosed with cancer the whole mess with my feelings went crazy. Therefore, I had to push you aside so I didn't have to deal with it."

"That explains a lot," he said. "I was a little worried when you suddenly stopped pestering me with text messages and calls every minute of every day. I was a little worried for a bit until the announcement of Godo's sickness was made public."

"Yeah, I didn't handle that very well. I should have let everyone know what my plans were, but a part of me didn't want you guys to go," she said.

Vincent stood and held out his hand to help her move to her feet. As they walked out of the restaurant he directed her into the opposite direction of where his motorcycle was parked. Yuffie wasn't quite ready to hope on the machine yet, but she had no idea why Vincent was walking away.

"You know we wouldn't have left you," Vincent said. Yuffie bobbed her head to agree and leaned against his arm. "I'm glad you kept in touch with Tifa though, she probably _would_ have killed you if you dropped all contact with her. Then she kept us up to date with any major news you told her."

"Ah." Yuffie giggled. She knew Tifa wouldn't keep her friends in the dark. "Where are we going?"

Vincent pulled Yuffie down a little sidewalk between two buildings. The sidewalk connected to a larger area with a park in the center. He continued to walk forward with Yuffie on his arm. Their walk stopped when they reached a white picnic bench at the edge of the park area. A couple of streets lights were on providing them with enough light to see one another. A few cars drove on the streets signaling the final group of people getting off work to head home.

"Yuffie, do you know how beautiful you are to me?" Vincent asked as Yuffie leaned against his shoulder. She remained silent so he could explain his question without her interrupting. "You are as beautiful as a star in the night sky. All my life I looked for a star as bright as you and tried to grab a hold of it. At one point I thought befriending the star was simple enough. Then you would always be a part of my life. But then life actually happened and I let you slip through my fingers. Before I could think twice you were gone. For a long time I accepted the darkness again, but then I watched you die before my eyes."

Yuffie gave him a puzzled look. The tears in her eyes remained still in wait for his explanation.

"When I saw you get shot on live television I know my heart stopped that very second. Deep down I knew you weren't dead because there was no way I would survive your death," he said and turned so their knees bumped where they sat. "When we finally got to your home and saw you knocked out in your bed I think it was at that moment I realized I wanted to be by your side forever. That way I would always be there to protect you and make sure you were safe. I was finally able to let my heart love you because you were almost taken away from me. I don't ever want you to leave me, Yuffie Kisaragi."

Yuffie let the tears in her eyes fall as Vincent got down on one knee with her left hand in his grasp. He looked up into her watery eyes with a smile on his face.

"I know we were planning on going out tomorrow to pick out the perfect ring for you to wear, but I think I already found it," he said and opened the box to reveal the ring her mother once wore. "Yuffie Kisaragi, would you take my last name and become my wife?"

Yuffie gasped as she took in the ring before her. She only carried a few memories of her mother. In fact, she could barely recall the sound of her voice. But she did remember the many times her father showed off her mother's ring and shared their beginning story. They carried a true love when it was there. She knew he still loved her mother even if she was gone. Tears poured out of her eyes as she hoped her father would be able to walk alongside his true love again.

"Yes," Yuffie whispered. She covered her mouth as the ring she adored as a child was slid onto her finger. The fact Vincent was given this ring told her so much about her father's view on their marriage.

Vincent rose while he pulled her head towards his own and captured her lips. They kissed for what felt like forever in celebration of their first step towards their life together. Neither of them ever dreamt of finding someone worth marrying. Yuffie thought it was overrated while Vincent thought his one chance for true love was murdered. It just went to show how clouded their views truly were.

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 _AWWWW! Okay, now that the question was popped it only leaves me with one thing left. Let's get to the wedding! Do you expect drama? Simplicity? Complications? Surprises? Or just an average wedding? Who knows with this adorable couple?!_


	7. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I own no part of Final Fantasy VII. I am not receiving any payment for this story other than self-satisfaction.

 _It's time for the wedding you've all been waiting for! I am creating this wedding entirely from scratch. If you don't like it, I'm sorry. I'm married so I know the general start and end. If you can overlook my ignorance, let's get it started!_

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Epilogue

Mr. and Mrs. Valentine

Yuffie fought the urge to chew on her bottom lip again and again. She already had been scolded by Tifa for constantly ruining her makeup. Not to mention the artist was getting sick and tired of have to run around after a bride unable to sit still.

It was about to begin and there was no backing down now. Of course, the idea of running away from her dream man was out of the question. She couldn't imagine how hard it would be to win his heart over again if she abandoned him on their wedding day. A part of her knew he still carried fear of her doing just that.

"Dumb bitch," Yuffie grumbled as the thought about Lucrecia's cruelness to Vincent. But without the nasty woman's work she wouldn't be walking down the aisle to her dream man.

"Don't use such language," Godo said from her right in his wheelchair. Even as he scolded her a smile appeared on his face. It wouldn't be a lie if he was willing to admit he never thought he would see his daughter actually complete a marriage to a hero of their world. Not to mention being a heroine herself. Such funny times they lived in this world.

As the music to Tifa and Cloud's entrance as the maid of honor and best man ended, Godo moved to stand on his feet.

"Dad!" Yuffie gasped as Godo found his balance next to her. She began calling him her father a little time after her engagement to Vincent. Godo deserved that much respect.

"With a bit of hard therapy I made it so I could walk my daughter down the aisle," he said with a proud smile and held out his arm. "Let's do this!"

Yuffie had a dash of tears in her eyes and traces of laughter when she first stepped into view for the audience to see. All of it stopped when she looked forward to see Vincent waiting for her with a smile on his face. He wasn't in a tuxedo. He wore a genuine kimono for a groom with a pair of wooden sandals. He was the perfect match for Yuffie. She was in a white kimono with a green ribbon tied in her hair. The soft shade made her pale skin almost appear to sparkle.

She kept her eyes looked on her dearest love as she took slow steps next to her father. When they reached the end of their walk, Godo kissed her cheek and permitted for the ceremony to continue with his best wishes. He stumbled his way back to where his second wheelchair was in wait for him to be seated.

"Today we are gathered to witness the uniting of Miss Yuffie Kisaragi to her husband Mr. Vincent Valentine," the priest said before them. The sentence was only the beginning of a short and simple ceremony.

Their promises were exchanged with smiles and clicks of several cameras. Once their vows were expressed they both wore rings on their fingers as a way to commit to their promises. In the audience crying was heard and clicks were still sounding the people's excitement.

"I know pronounce you husband and wife! Vincent, please kiss your bride!" the priest said with excitement and cheers from their guests.

Yuffie expected a pleasant kiss of elegance and poise from her dear love. What she got was almost anything but. Vincent wrapped his arms around her waist so he could pulled her body close to his. As they kissed he dipped his tongue in for a quick taste and simple tease. Yuffie dropped her flowers as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

When they finally pulled apart even more cheers sounded from their friends and new family. As they led the way back down the aisle Yuffie fell against Vincent's body.

"What was with that?" Yuffie asked while giggling when they were waiting for Cloud and Tifa to join them in line to shake hands and receive hugs from their guests.

"No one will question you're mine," he said confidently.

"That's for sure," Tifa said with a laugh. "I thought he was going to suck your face off."

"I wasn't going to say anything," Cloud said. He held his hands up and shook his head. It was a conversation they weren't about to have while he was around.

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Yuffie was exhausted after all the food and dancing. Their first dance as husband and wife were to a classical tune well known to the people of Wutai. It was the usual music played for a husband and wife back in the years of Wutai's early beginning. When Yuffie first suggested they dance to the song Vincent couldn't' have agreed more. It showed how important their marriage would be for one another and for their nation. A true song for a couple of hopefully successful leaders.

"So, when do you plan on doing the baby thing?" a distant, elderly cousin asked. Yuffie chocked on the wine she was drinking leaving Vincent open to answer the question.

"Due to certain matters we need to sit back and discuss it more before we can set a for sure date," he said smiling to the elderly woman. "As soon as the date is known you shall know as well."

"Good," the woman said and kiss Vincent's cheek. He looked after her in shock to her kind gesture. Being a part of a loving family was something he would need to get used to.

"I didn't expect that. I'm sorry!" Yuffie said and placed her forehead on his shoulder to hide her face in embarrassment.

"That's the big question after something like this," he said. He kissed her head where it was placed against his shoulder.

"You can have children?" Yuffie asked with shock in her voice.

Vincent shrugged and took a sip of wine. He smiled down to her with excitement in his eyes.

"It will be a fun experiment to test," he said.

Yuffie yelled at him and hit his shoulder. As they laughed together, Cloud approached their table at the front of the room with a nervous smile on his face. He looked over his shoulder to see Tifa still talking with Reeve and Barret about something or other. When he looked back to the bride and groom he opened a box for them to see the diamond ring it held.

"Cloud!" Yuffie gasped. "When did you decide this?"

"A little while after Vincent asked you," Cloud admitted. "I debated it for a while and it only makes sense. She does everything to me I imagine Yuffie does to you."

Vincent smiled to his friend. He understood exactly what he meant.

"Ask her out on the patio," Vincent said. He pointed to the side where lights were hung around the wooden railing.

"I couldn't! This is your day!" Cloud said and returned the band to his pocket.

"I imagine a part of you was thinking it would be perfect since you brought the ring with you," Yuffie said and gave him a wink. "Vinnie and I have had our moment and the night is winding down. You have my permission to now make the time your own."

"She's a bit cleverer than we thought," Cloud warned Vincent with a smirk.

"Why do you think I love her?" Vincent asked. "Head on over and get yourself ready for your own future."

When Cloud left the table he walked straight to Tifa to pull her outside. The patio was empty of guest due to the night reaching its chill. Tifa appeared confused but played along to Cloud's wishes as she always had. Her confusion vanished when Cloud got down on one need and opened the ring box with his question. They watched her except his proposal like any woman madly in love would. She jumped when the ring was on her finger before she pulled him into a large hug.

"I am so celebrating this!" Yuffie said and jumped to her feet.

"Yuffie!" Vincent yelled and ran after her to the DJ at the head of the dance floor. Of course, her tiny body was much faster. He could not stop her from whatever action she was about to take.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Yuffie called out only seconds after Cloud and Tifa walked back into the room wrapped in one another's arms. "May I present the latest engagement? Mr. Cloud Strife to Mrs. Tifa Lockhart!"

The room erupted with applause for the newest couple. On cue the DJ played a hit song for everyone to dance along. Yuffie jumped up and wrapped her arms around Vincent's neck with a tight hug. What craziness drove him to marrying such a foolish woman?

Then she kissed him with enough passion to almost rip his breath away. He tightened his arms around her waist. Oh, her obvious love for him may have been a factor.

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 _The end! So what did you think? I really enjoyed the dashes of drama and the truth to their romance. It was a wonderful story to write and I'm super happy I got it done! These ideas keep popping in my head and I can't get enough of them! If you really liked it check out some of my other pieces and follow me for more work. Thanks and have a great day or night! Whatever!_


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